


Londra A/R

by ginnyred



Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: Annoying Italians Abroad, Dialogue-Only, Fluff, London, M/M, Phone Calls & Telephones, Reunions, School trips, Texting, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-05 17:39:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20492678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnyred/pseuds/ginnyred
Summary: Nico, Wednesday, h. 01.23 CETi miss you alreadyOr, Marti leaves on a four-day school trip to London.[second chapter added]





	1. Chapter 1

**Nico, Wednesday, h. 01.23 CET**

_i miss you already_

**Nico, Wednesday, h. 5.45 CET**

_<3_

_going to the airport now. the guys say hi_

_luchino asks if you can send him the address of that carbonara place_

_(please don't. he'll drag us there. i don't deserve that.)_

_sent it ;P_

_fuck you_

_(i miss you too)_

_<3 <3 <3_

**Nico, Wednesday, h. 8.42 CET**

_the flight attendant guy kinda looks like you_

_only i'm better?_

_i don't know. he brought us snacks, so_

_nice try_

_he can't have brought you snacks before take-off_

_;P_

_gotta go. flight attendant guy told me i have to switch off my phone_

_(you're right, he sucks)_

_talk to you later_

_love you_

**Nico, Wednesday, h. 11.34 GMT**

_we're here. it rains. fuck_

_you're gonna have to get used to that, love_

_was the flight ok?_

_luchino told the guy he looks like my boyfriend and elia tried to kill him_

_the usual_

_ouch, poor luchino_

_also fuck that still feels so good_

_“my boyfriend”? yeah_

_yeah_

**Nico, Wednesday, h. 18.36 GMT**

“-they literally did not let us breathe until now. I swear I've never walked this much in my life.”

“I don't doubt it.”

“Fuck you. I wish I could send you pictures. I posted some. You can look at them on the computer, I think?”

“Yeah, I saw. The British Museum, Trafalgar Square, and the Gallery?”

“Yeah. I swear there's more Italians in Trafalgar Square than in actual Italy. Wait a second- What? What do you mean dinner? It's six pm! … Shit. Yeah, okay. Tell Eva I'm coming. Sorry, Ni, gotta go. Apparently people eat in the afternoon here.”

“They do. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye. Yes, I'm fucking coming, Peccio, don't st-”

**Nico, Wednesday, h. 19.12 GMT**

_what the fuck is “sparkling water”?_

_acqua frizzante :P_

_why? it doesn't sparkle_

_you're hopeless_

_how are you even surviving over there?_

_i told you. everyone is secretly italian here_

_apart from this waitress_

**Nico, Wednesday, h. 22.02 GMT**

_big ben at night is cool_

_right? it's the best_

_not so big though. i thought it'd be bigger_

_…_

_ni?_

_sorry. couldn't decide which joke to make_

_too many options_

_lol_

_i miss you. even if you fail at jokes_

_i miss you too. have fun tonight_

_<3_

**Nico, Thursday, h. 00.34 GMT**

“-what do you mean you're sleeping in the bathtub?”

“Yes, Luca and the others from VA are... like, giving us shelter for the night. Scoppini and Ghezzi are taking turns patrolling the corridors. We can't risk it.”

“Patrolling the corridors? At half-past one?”

“It's only half-past midnight here, but I don't think they need to sleep like normal humans. We've been stuck in this room since eleven- What? No, it's Nico. The boys say hi.”

“Hi! How many of you are sleeping in this bathtub exactly?”

“Four. Me, Gio, Elia, and il Peccio.”

“Bit crowded.”

“Yeah. Don't remind me.”

**Nico, Thursday, h. 7.30 GMT**

_are you alive?_

_fuck, my back hurts so bad_

_oh. so you *are* alive. you've just... turned into my grandpa_

_the one who makes the puppets?_

_yeah_

_i need to meet him_

_i'm sure he's got great tips for backache and stuff_

_i would tell you to go fuck yourself but honestly i'd love some of those tips right now_

_ok hold on_

_what?_

_ni...?_

**Nico, Thursday, h. 7.53 GMT**

_so. you don't happen to have a heating pad with you, right?_

_no?_

_wait, you actually asked your grandpa? at eight in the morning?_

_almost nine here. and he wakes up early anyway_

_you're, like, something else_

_i just want you to come back in one piece_

_fingers crossed_

**Nico, Thursday, h. 8.32 GMT**

_the girls had it! the heating thing!_

_your grandpa is a genius and i love you_

_he really is and i love you too_

**Nico, Thursday, h. 14.32 GMT**

“-and we went there and there was this guy. The owner, I think? Bald, with a beard. Honestly, I didn't catch his name. Something like Bob?”

“Rob? Yeah, it's him. Did you talk to him about me?”

“Yeah, we kept saying 'Niccolò', 'Niccolò Fares', and he was like 'Who?' And then Luca went 'Nico' and I swear he lit up and was like 'Nico from Rome!!!' What did you do to this guy? He loves you. He wouldn't even let us pay because we were 'Nico's friends'.”

“Aaahhh, he's the best. I love him. Did you try the carbonara?”

“Yeah, it was awful. Only slightly less toxic than yours. But at that point it didn't even matter.”

**Nico, Thursday, h. 17.45 GMT**

_have you been to camden? you'd love it_

_i have! it's incredible!_

_i bought you a t-shirt_

_really? aaaawww, that's so sweet_

_yes, i saw it in the shop and i thought of you. so i had to buy it_

_thank you <3_

_it says 'more hipster than you'_

_fuck you <3_

**Nico, Thursday, h. 19.02 GMT**

_at dinner now. i might have to sleep in the bathtub again tonight_

_what? why?_

_a feeling..._

**Nico, Friday, h. 01.03 GMT**

_q.e.d._

_don't pretend you know math now_

_i don't. i know some latin though?_

_fair_

_wait. does that mean you are in the bathtub?_

_lucky escape. the girls have a spare bed tonight and they offered it to us_

_just one but it's better than the bathtub_

_us?_

_me and elia. il peccio is in the bathtub_

_the girls have a spare bed..._

_gio is not with you..._

_hallelujah, right? you should have seen them at dinner_

_frankly embarrassing_

_yeah, like you're not over the moon about this_

_i mean, it's the best thing that's happened to me this month_

_and it hasn't even happened to me_

_but they *are* obnoxious_

_i'm so happy for them_

_yeah, me too_

**Nico, Friday, h. 08.04 GMT**

_good morning_

_uni strike today so my mum wants to take me gift shopping for a friend of hers i don't even know_

_tell me you're doing something better?_

_staring knowingly at gio and eva across the breakfast table counts?_

_totally ;)_

**Nico, Friday, h. 13.34 GMT**

“-no, now I'm having a kebab. We went to the Abbey this morning – lots of dead people. The guide spoke some Italian... he kept talking about 'Isacco Newton'? We were like 'man, you don't have to translate his _name_'.”

“What?! Oh my God!”

“I know. How did the shopping go?”

“It was Hell. I don't even know what we bought in the end.”

“_Ouch._ What are you doing later?”

“I should study, but I'll probably just wait for whatever you upload on instagram. And tonight I'm going out with the guys from the study group – who won't have studied either, I bet.”

“I miss you, Ni.”

“I miss you too.”

**Nico, Friday, h. 17.46 GMT**

_<3_

_<3_

_you alright?_

_yeah. we saw the library, it's super cool_

_what time will you be back tonight?_

_midnight-ish? maybe one?_

_can i call you afterwards?_

_sure. are you sure you're alright?_

_yeah, sure_

**Nico, Saturday, h. 01.31 GMT**

“-Marti? Love, are you _crying?_”

“... no.”

“Marti.”

“Okay, yes. But it's not... bad crying, okay? Just... crying.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing. No really, it's... it's just this Gio and Eva thing.”

“They broke up again?”

“What? Nono. They're back together. That's the thing.”

“I thought you were happy about it? I mean, I _know_ you were happy about it.”

“I am happy about it. It's just brought back... _things_. Like, if it weren't for me-”

“_Marti._”

“Nono, Ni. Listen. I was happy about this. I was ecstatic about this. And then I thought: am I happy for them? Or for me? Is this just... me being selfish because this fixes things and I don't have to... feel bad anymore?”

“Marti, they forgave you. And didn't Gio tell you they broke up for other reasons?”

“Yes, but... I still did it, you know? I still fucked up.”

“And then you owned up to it. Do you really want to keep blaming yourself now things turned out okay?”

“I'm blaming myself _because_ things turned out okay. Or, well, because I'm relieved that they did. I'm not sure it makes sense...”

“Love. You have a right to let this go.”

“But I-”

“You fucked up, yeah, but you don't have to atone forever. Things are good now, let them be good. Let yourself be happy. For them _and_ for you. I promise you no one deserves it more than you.”

“...”

“Marti?”

“I'm here.”

“And...?”

“I don't know. You're very biased.”

“I'm also very right.”

“... I love you. And sorry for, you know. Making this sad.”

“Shut up. No, don't: tell me you won't feel guilty over this tomorrow.”

“I'll try.”

“Just try?”

“I'll try hard?”

“Better. Are you still in the bathtub, by the way? Where are you calling from?”

“No, I... I didn't want to bother the guys so I went out on the balcony.”

“In London, in March, at one in the morning?”

“... I'm wearing a jacket?”

“Marti. _Please_, go inside so I don't have to come over there and drag you inside myself.”

“... fine. Jeez, _mum_-”

**Nico, Saturday, h. 8.54 GMT**

_good morning! how are you? <3_

_good_

_i spoke with gio last night_

_oh?_

_yeah. i mean i didn't want to_

_but he saw me after i called you and was all 'have you been crying'. you know how he is_

_so yeah. we spoke_

_that's good. and?_

_apparently the world doesn't revolve around me?_

_shocking, i know_

_deeply_

_my world does btw. revolve around you_

_lame <3_

**Nico, Saturday, h. 13.00 GMT**

“-and we had a vote! Like, a proper vote-”

“_It's a disgrace, Nico! A fucking disgrace._”

“-gimme the phone back, Lu, what the- Ni? It _is_ a disgrace, though. I mean, they were like: 'What do you want do in the afternoon?' 'Cause we have a few free hours before the flight, right? So we had a vote and Wembley won. I mean, _obviously_.”

“... obviously.”

“Yeah! Obviously it won. And Scoppini was like 'we can't it's too far and it's not particularly educational either.' _Not educational!_ It's Wembley stadium!!! Also, what's the point of voting if they're going to ignore us, like? Who fucking cares about this random park anyway? No one! But we're going to see the fucking park instead.”

“Wow. Democracy is dead.”

“Stop taking the piss, Ni, I'm serious.”

“I can tell, love. Have you guys started a revolution yet or...?”

“Not, like, officially. Maybe after lunch?”

**Nico, Saturday, h. 16.03 GMT**

_how are the barricades coming along?_

_not... great. hyde park is cool_

_and we couldn't have gotten *inside* the stadium anyway, so_

_how anticlimactic_

_:P_

_there's this angry guy shouting at the government btw_

_gio was like “same”_

_gio at speakers' corner is, like, dangerous_

_right? i think he found his true calling_

**Nico, Saturday, h. 20.14 GMT**

_can i sleep at yours tonight?_

_sure_

_but doesn't your mum want to see you after four days away?_

_yes. but i promised i'd be back for lunch tomorrow and she said ok_

_gio's dad was going to drive me home anyway. he can take me to your place instead_

_i see you've planned everything already :)_

_stop that_

_what?_

_the smugness_

_;)_

**Nico, Saturday, h. 20.55 GMT**

_this plane is about to leave england and i can't stop thinking of you_

_of the moment our lips will touch after spending so long apart_

_of the way it'll feel to lay my djndnkklsks44jdjsd_

_dgius#js2330_

_too bad_

_it was getting good_

_ so. that was obviously not me_

_elia?_

_yes_

_did you kill him?_

_yes_

_r.i.p. he was a kind soul_

_i remember once he even asked before taking my cigarettes_

_a true hero_

_… i am thinking of you, though_

_of the moment our lips will touch after spending so long apart?_

_don't push it_

**Nico, Sunday, h. 00.54 CET**

_landed! i'll be there in, like, an hour and a half-ish?_

_longest hour of my life_

_… yeah_

**Nico, Sunday, h. 02.31 CET**

_am i hallucinating you in your pyjamas and a fucking shawl in front of your front gate?_

_it's a blanket. are you here? i can't see you_

_oh_

_there you are_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was a thing. I'm not complaining about dialogue tags ever again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't plan a second chapter for this, it just sort of happened. I'm now writing fanfiction of my own fanfiction.
> 
> All is well.

Marti runs.

It’s a bit silly, he knows, and Gio and his dad are still in the car and they’ll probably see, but he can’t bring himself to care.

His backpack bounces up and down with every step, the straps digging painfully into his shoulders. His small trolley makes a rumbling sound as he runs and drags it behind him on the sampietrini pavement.

He practically crashes against Nico; hears him let out a surprised laugh and feels his arms wrap themselves tightly around his waist.

Finally.

“Hey,” Nico says. Quietly, but his hands are restless. Under the shawl, Marti feels them hold on convulsely to his jacket and the straps of his backpack.

Marti hugs Nico back and laughs in relief, but he might as well cry. He’d forgotten how Nico smells of _home._

“Hey.” Marti has a lump in his throat he’s not sure he can explain. He kisses Nico’s hair and holds him tight, arms around his neck, revelling in the closeness.

“Let’s go inside.”

They pull apart and Nico grabs Marti’s hand to lead the way, but Marti recoils. Nico is freezing.

“You’re a block of ice!” He takes both of Nico’s hands between his and blows on them to warm them up. “How long have you been waiting out here?”

“Just a couple of minutes.”

“I thought being out in the cold at night was dumb? _Someone_ told me that literally the other day.”

Nico just smiles, scrunching up his nose at him – and Marti rolls his eyes, though he’s smiling too.

“C'mon.”

They walk inside holding hands. Nico takes Marti’s jacket, his backpack, and trolley and lets Marti collapse on sofa, the exhaustion from the trip suddenly catching up on him.

Nico disappears briefly in the kitchen only to come back out with a steaming mug.

Marti wrinkles his nose.

“I’m done with tea.”

“It’s cocoa. I made it earlier, but it’s still hot.”

“Oh?”

Marti leans back against the sofa and Nico pets his hair as he walks around it. He sets the cocoa down on the table, sits down fixing the shawl on his shoulders, and just smiles at Marti.

“Hi.”

“Hi. What _is_ this?” Marti touches the shawl, holds one end of it carefully between his index finger and his thumb. It looks old, knitted, with a chequered pattern mixing oranges and browns. It’s so long Nico is right, it might as well be a blanket.

“I found it in the wardrobe. I think it might have been my grandma’s?” Nico follows the knitted pattern with his fingers too. He gets a faraway look in his eyes for a moment – sad but warm. Focused, nostalgic. Like he's remembering, or trying to.

“How was she?” Marti asks after a moment. Quietly, like he doesn’t want to ruin the moment.

It takes Nico a few seconds to reply.

“She was like me.” The words are very soft, like they belong in a dream. Nico smiles, his eyes focusing back on Marti, and Marti finds himself smiling back.

He doesn’t know what that means, but it doesn’t matter. He can tell there are good, warmth-filled memories attached to it anyway.

“You aren’t drinking your cocoa,” Nico points out, tilting his chin towards the mug on the table.

“Later,” Marti says, and Nico’s smile turns smug.

“Do you have other plans?”

Marti rolls his eyes and reaches out to grab the back of Nico’s neck and pull him towards him. Nico is still smiling when their lips finally touch.

There is no hurry.

Marti sighs as he opens his mouth and Nico kisses into it. He sinks his fingers in Nico’s hair and leans back into the cushions. Lets Nico cradle his face with his hands and guide his movements, lets himself just feel.

Marti hasn’t slept a ton these past few days, but there is a word that keeps popping up in his brain. _Home._

It feels like the right one.

*

They don’t let the cocoa grow cold. Marti has to break their kiss to yawn, and it makes Nico laugh. He pulls away and lays his forehead against Marti’s shoulder.

“That good, eh?”

“Sorry.” Marti smiles. He doesn’t really feel guilty about it because he can tell Nico understands.

Nico climbs off Marti’s lap and reaches for the cocoa mug, handing it to Marti.

“Here. Drink.”

It’s pleasantly warm now. Marti complies, watching amusedly as Nico switches on the old living room tv at the lowest possible volume for some background noise.

“Let’s see, you can choose between: the news from yesterday evening…” Nico changes the channel. “More news, politics… stuff?, this lady’s totally authentic jewels just for you at 299 euro 99 – call now. Oh, fuck, not _Ghost_ again-”

Nico’s commentary is a lot more entertaining than whatever is on tv at 3am – and Marti finishes his cocoa listening to his slightly incoherent babbling, as they point and giggle at awful jewelry and bad 90s CGI.

When Marti yawns again, Nico turns to look at him, his smile soft.

“Wanna go to bed?” he asks, but Marti shakes his head.

He wants this. More of this. Of them together, doing nothing, just being close.

His brain is a bit slow right now, so he just pulls on Nico’s shirt in a half thought out attempt to get him to be closer. Nico seems to get it, though. He scoots closer and wraps an arm around him, so Marti can lay his head on his shoulder.

Nico picks up the shawl from where it had slid off his shoulders onto the sofa and uses it to cover their legs. He doesn’t think twice about it, he just does – and Marti feels something warm bloom inside his chest.

“This is nice,” Marti whispers, even though it doesn’t convey a fraction of what he’s feeling right now.

“Yeah,” is Nico’s only reply. Marti feels his vocal chords vibrate with the sound, and it makes him smile.

_I’ve missed you._

“Did you know the English queue for the bus?” he offers randomly, just to hear Nico’s voice again.

Nico snorts a laugh.

“Yeah, I did.”

“You’re no fun.” Marti makes to slap Nico’s chest, but it ends up being a caress. He strokes along Nico’s collarbone and down his arm with the tip of his finger. “You already know everything.”

“Not everything.” Nico’s tone is amused. “I’m sure you can tell me something I don’t know.”

“Can I?”

“Sure. Try.”

“Mmmmmm, okay.” Marti thinks about it for no more than a couple of seconds. There’s really only one thing he wants to say. It’s what he’s been trying to say all along. “London is nice, but being back home is better.”

Nico smiles. Marti can’t see his smile, but feels the muscles of Nico’s cheeks contract where he's laid his head on top of Marti's.

“You haven’t been home yet.”

Nico knows.

Marti knows he knows. He can’t explain how he does – he just _knows_. But one thing they learnt together is that saying things aloud has a special power, like a magic spell.

It always makes the world a bit less hard and baffling. It makes everything they feel a bit more tangible and present.

Marti turns his head to kiss the base of Nico’s neck.

“Yes, I have.”


End file.
